Stories abound about people who were helped by other people. I find no shortage of people who, recognizing a person in some sort of need, become very helpful.

The MSNBC series, "American Greed" has put forth many tales of people who were very helpful.

One way some people have been helpful is the way of finding someone who is retired, elderly, somewhat struggling with difficulties, and helping the person in need to be free of the bother of a home, savings, or other tangible and intangible assets.

There have been many stories of people who helped other people with the problem of managing their life savings. One such way of helping is to invest the life savings of a person in need, offering an uncommonly high interest rate. For a while. Not all that long a while.

How do some such people pay interest at an uncommonly high interest rate? By paying the purported interest from the a small fraction of the principal while absconding with the rest of the principal.

I regard it as well worth your while to check with the California legal aid folks; perhaps your present realtor is a great and real benefactor. That is what many people thought Bernie Madoff was. Then came, for Bernie, a trial, conviction and prison, and for those who had thought of him as a great and real benefactor, there was serious to severe impoverishment.

I have increasingly been experiencing activation of my internal "Yikes!" alarm system as I read, and attempt to understand your situation.

California does seem, to me, to have a form of legal aid arrangement that I find may be rather strongly intended for folks in situations similar to yours.

http://www.caforjustice.org/about/organizations

Whether you are being met with a form of injustice or not, I cannot sort out. Perhaps someone at California for Justice can help you sort that out, or direct you to someone else who can, before you end up being squashed like a bug, if that is the process that is beginning to happen to you.

My wife and I live in a rather small population, mostly rural, county in northeast Wisconsin, which I suppose I can properly name: Door County. Door County has a Senior Resource Center, the services of which are available to my wife and to me; she is 79 and I am 74. There is subsidized housing for elderly people, and my wife and I know quite a few people in our age range who developed aging problems that made living in their home no longer practical.

I do not know in which county you live in California, surely, however, there are support services for the elderly (I am elderly, and not a senior. I was a senior (a high school senior, that is), during the 1957-58 school year. I was a senior most of sixty years ago. Now, I am elderly.

Life offered to me a choice. Become elderly or not. For now, I take elderly.

As for Door County, and services for the elderly, like my wife:

http://www.co.door.wi.gov/localgov_depa ... &locid=137

I would be both surprised and saddened if you live in a California county that does not have something very much like the Door County Senior Resource Center.

Mac I had the pleasure of meeting you at your house. I have never owned a home or been involved in real-estate but I thought what you were offered to be too low. The small mobile home is an interest to me with my small space interests. I on the other hand see you in a senior apartment building or complex with some security features. A peaceful place that has solid lockable doors.

A Remax realtor took a tour of my house/property and admits it might take $50,000 to repair all the damage. My street used to be a quiet residential neighborhood. Now however, it is used as a throughfare for transients, hookers, and those looking to 'roll' somebody.

tugon (imported) wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2013 5:27 am Mac I had the pleasure of meeting you at your house. I have never owned a home or been involved in real-estate but I thought what you were offered to be too low. The small mobile home is an interest to me with my small space interests. I on the other hand see you in a senior apartment building or complex with some security features. A peaceful place that has solid lockable doors.

I'm looking now for a senior place. All I need is a bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, living room and some storage place. And one that is close to a laundrymat, a bus stop and a grocery store.

MacTheWolf (imported) wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2013 9:04 am I'm looking now for a senior place. All I need is a bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, living room and some storage place. And one that is close to a laundrymat, a bus stop and a grocery store.

Around here some of the senior places have laundry facilities. They also plan a day to take residents to a grocery store. You will have your independence but some assistance when needed. Instead of reading about you being too hot or cold and having less than charming houseguests we will learn about how popular you will be with the widows

The cleanup showed up to clean out some small stuff. The realtor is supposed to be here to take me to lunch. If the cleanup crew won't be when we return from lunch, I'll have to boot them out before I go to lunch. NO WAY am I leaving my house unlocked.

Cleaning Crew just left, now I can lockup my house

Realtor just called. He wants to meet so I can sign paperwork.

I met the realtor at Coco's - my favorite restaurant.

I signed all his papers agreeing to sell the house for $45,000.

When I arrived home, my friend of 30 years called and said he'd drive me to my 4:00 pm doctor appointment today.

In my fifteen or so years working with property redevelopment (elected to district planning council, chair of city land use and zoning committee, board of directors of the neighborhood development company) the usual rule for third tier distressed property market value is the value of the empty lot less the cost to remove the buildings and restore the grade. As a result most of these properties have a net value of a few thousand dollars or more likely a negative value. In all cases no value can be given without an opinion from an appraiser not connected to any party to the sale. --FLO--

I'm waiting for my ride to the doctor appointment. I'm hot, miserable and hot - yup, normal summer.

Made it to appointment only to find out my doctor was sick and cancelled all her appointments. Alas.